"Kids, are you ready to embrace the pain?"
Anko smiled as her flirtatious gaze swept across the crowd, making quite a few of them feel their hearts flutter.
Her voice, her curvaceous figure, and her provocative outfit were enough to set their imaginations running wild.
"I'm already ready..."
Naruto pitched his voice high and mimicked Anko's pose, putting on an exaggerated, coquettish act.
Anko glanced at Naruto, her smile growing wider.
Then a kunai appeared in her hand. With a swish, she hurled it at Naruto.
Caught off guard, Naruto had no time to dodge. The kunai sliced across his cheek, leaving a cut.
Feeling the sting on his face, Naruto finally realized that the woman before him wasn't just curvaceous—she had a fiery temper, too. There was no telling what she might do next.
Ye Fan watched Anko, looking her up and down, and thought of Jiraiya.
Jiraiya had always liked women like her.
During all those years traveling, Ye Fan had visited pleasure districts with Jiraiya more than once.
Every time they went, Jiraiya picked women with fiery tempers.
"Kid, you shouldn't look at your big sister like that."
Ye Fan caught a waft of a peculiar fragrance, and Anko was suddenly pressed against him.
At such close quarters, Ye Fan could clearly hear Anko breathing.
"Ahem... Teacher, please show some restraint..."
"Teacher Anko, you shouldn't throw your ninja tools around. I picked up your kunai for you."
Before Ye Fan could finish, a Kusagakure ninja appeared behind Anko, moving in an unmistakably suggestive way.
The Kusagakure ninja used his long tongue to coil around the kunai and held it out in front of Anko's breasts.
"Oh? Thank you," Anko said with a smile. "If you want to die, I can make that happen. I love helping people."
"Die? I don't think I can. Let me tell you a secret—I'm immortal."
The Kusagakure ninja returned the kunai to Anko with his tongue, then took a deep breath, savoring the scent in the air.
After letting go of Anko, he circled Ye Fan a few times, a satisfied smile on his face.
Ye Fan's physical abilities far exceeded his expectations.
As he examined Ye Fan up close, Ye Fan was examining him, too.
Though he had taken over the body of a Kusagakure ninja, Ye Fan recognized him at a glance: Orochimaru.
"You don't have the Sharingan, but this body will still serve me for quite a while."
Orochimaru leaned close to Ye Fan's ear and whispered, making no effort to keep his words secret.
It was as if Ye Fan already belonged to him, there for him to do with as he pleased.
"Is the Sharingan really that impressive?" Ye Fan said calmly. "If you want my body, you'll have to prove you're capable of taking it, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's heart jolted, and he was astonished.
He thought he had concealed his identity well. How had anyone recognized him?
And the one who had seen through him was just a child!
Orochimaru was suddenly filled with questions he couldn't answer.
Still, he didn't dwell on it. Even if Ye Fan had recognized him, it made no difference.
Ye Fan's body would be his soon enough.
"You're clever, and strong enough to take out three Chunin in an instant. Once you enter the Forest of Death, make sure you stay alive as long as you can."
Orochimaru licked his lips, left him with those words, and returned to his place.
Before the entrance to the Forest of Death, Anko took out a contract and spoke with a smile:
"This exam will take place in Area 44, the Forest of Death, and last five days."
"The Forest of Death has mountains, rivers, and fierce beasts, with a tower at its center."
"Your task is to collect the Heaven and Earth scrolls within five days."
"As long as you reach the tower at the center within the allotted time, you'll have completed the task."
"Before you take part, however, you must sign your names on this contract."
"Once you've signed, your life and death are your own responsibility."
"Any team that wants to withdraw can leave now. Once you enter the Forest of Death, you must stay for the full five days before you can come out."
With that, Anko placed a pen and the contract on a rock for everyone to choose freely.
After hearing the rules, no one backed down. They all signed their names without hesitation.
Once they had signed, Anko randomly distributed Heaven and Earth scrolls among the teams.
None of the teams knew which scrolls the others had received.
After the scrolls were distributed, every ninja present understood one thing: once they entered the Forest of Death, all the other teams would be their enemies!
After making their preparations, the ninjas from the various villages entered the Forest of Death one after another.
Before going in, Orochimaru deliberately leaned close to Ye Fan's ear and said:
"Be sure to hide well. Don't die at my hands too soon."
Then Orochimaru slowly entered the Forest of Death.
Orochimaru didn't choose to capture Ye Fan right away. At the moment, he coveted Sasuke's body more.
Ever since he had seen Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru had wanted to take over a complete Uchiha body.
He knew there was no hope of getting Itachi, so he turned his attention to Sasuke instead.
The reason he had personally come to take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams was to see whether Uchiha Sasuke's body met his requirements.
Ye Fan was also descended from the Uchiha Clan, but he didn't have the Sharingan, so he wasn't Orochimaru's first choice.
"Hmph, Orochimaru, do you really think I'm already yours? Let's see how much of my strength you can force me to show!"
Ye Fan sneered and followed Orochimaru into the Forest of Death from a distance.
After Sasuke and the others entered the forest, they immediately went on high alert.
He had wanted to find a chance to kill Ye Fan, but after recalling his fight with the examiner, he decided to put it off for now.
He understood that he was no match for Ye Fan at the moment.
For now, the most important thing was to survive.
Only by surviving would he have a chance to take revenge!
"Naruto, Sakura, our team is made up of rookies this year, so the other teams will be likely to target us. We have to be careful."
"If we make even one mistake in here, it could cost us our lives!"
"Got it!"
As they traveled, Sasuke decided to establish a code word for safety.
Suddenly, a giant snake dropped from above and slammed toward the three of them, scattering their formation.
Sasuke and Sakura regrouped first, with Naruto close behind.
As Naruto approached, Sasuke shouted sharply, "Code word!"
Hidden among the dense branches of a distant tree, Ye Fan watched the scene with amusement.
"Looks like the show's about to begin!"
Before you continue